This week in the San Diego clubs, October 3–9

Thursday 3Light ’em up and watch ’em rock, pop, and roll. From Laramie, Wyoming, Fat Wreck recording artists Teenage Bottlerocket shoot into town and go off at Soda Bar behind their fifth, Freak Out!, which punknews.com calls “another fun chapter from punk’s most fun band.” The quirky punk quartet follows Nor’east punk-rawk staples the Queers (30 years strong) into the Normal Heights hot spot.... Got Guilt? Local soul-rock steamroller Heavy Guilt hits House of Blues with fuzzed-out surf by Hot Sands and, from Johannesburg, South Africa, alt-rock brother band Kongos. This one’s fucktupedly upstairs on Fifth, while there’s a DJ called Laidback Luke down on the main stage playing records. Is it me?! They got three ripping rock bands crammed in a corner, while there’s a (I’m sure very nice) person playing records in the big room. Don’t get me stahted.... Can’t take the heat by the House of Blues kitchen, right up Fifth at the Tin Can Ale House, proggy barroom rockers Brian Ellis Group split a bill with “collective improv” quintet hING.... “Fluffing you up. Loving you long time.” Her royal rockness Lauren Little, aka Queen Caveat, graces the stage at Bar Pink Thursday night. The Hollywood hits last week released for free their new E.P. Slap on the Wrist. Go get it: queencaveat.com/news/. And check their chops live. The four-piece shreds.... From NYC, underground hip-hop vet Ill Bill joins our own Parker & the Numberman and the Fam Royal crew, filling an inhibition-killing Disconnected billing at Brick by Brick. See, I can spit.

Her royal rockness Queen Kwong will grace the stage at the Void on Friday.

Friday 4Queen Kwong and Okapi Sun will fill the Void with primal noise Friday night. Queen Kwong braintrust Carré Callaway is a Trent Reznor protégé and part of the NINs stable since she was 17. The now-25-year-old this summer released Bad Lieutenant, which is a visceral, unapologetic glob of grunge and cats. She digs cats. Noisy cats. “I’d rather sound like shit and put on a great show than sound perfect but wimpy,” sayeth the Queen. I’m in.... With “the heart of the ’60s, the soul of the ’70s, and the flair of indie,” multiple SDMA winners Get Back Loretta continue to killit live. Though no new material has surfaced since 2009’s Where Did You Go? (indeed), the San Diego sextet has enjoyed opening slots for international acts Third Eye Blind, Fitz & the Tantrums, Dashboard Confessional, and Psychedelic Furs. Looks like Loretta owns Friday night at the Griffin, as no opening acts are listed. Maybe call the club for more deets.... From Liverpool, symphonic-rock six-piece Anathema hits Casbah with Weather Systems, a proggy strings and things affair that marks another revolution in the one-time death-metal band’s evolution. Heady night in Middletown, as Alcest, Maniffer, and Ana open the show.... Else: Nformals, Neighbors to the North, and Badabing fill an indie-eclectic bill in Bankers Hill at Tin Can Ale House...and Adam Salter and Music Is 4 Lovers bring electronic-pop artists Benoit & Sergio to the Garage at BSSMNT downtown. Web sez the DC/Berliner duo “make wry and affecting dance jams for a post–LCD Soundsystem world.” Long live LCD.

Soda Bar sets up original Strangler Hugh Cornwell on Saturday.

Saturday 5Eric Howarth (M-Theory, Hi-Speed Soul, Daydream Nation) is hosting another Vinyl Junkies record swap SaturDAY, from 11a till 5p, at Casbah. Crate-mining and cocktails — get off the couch, college football sucks! Saturday night at the Middletown mainstay belongs to the Ghostly International Tour. That’s a gaggle of electronic artists I’ve never heard of and could give a fluffy fart about. In fact, that’s what it all sounds like to me — fluffy farts. Yes, I can be narrow-minded and mean-spirited, but only about stupid stuff.... Better bets: Strangler Hugh Cornwell sets up at Soda Bar. Cornwell might be a bit long in the tooth (64), but he’s also long in Brit-punk history, starting the Stranglers (“Golden Brown,” “Peaches”) in ’74. The Stranglers still tour minus Cornwell, who seems to be doing fine solo. His latest, this year’s Totem and Taboo, was recorded with Steve Albini. According to a rock writer at louderthanwar.com who seems to know a lot about the artist, the collection is based on Freudian tropes (Cornwell’s a “punk-rock intellectual”) and its sound harks to Kinksian ’60s.... No? Rockabilly trio Hard Fall Hearts beat till two at Til-Two, where the Gore Horsemen ride first...electro-punks Stalins of Sound plug in at Tower Bar after Exorcisms, Marco Polo, and Cedar Fire...sock-hop-rockers the Jive Bombers take down the Shakedown with Hellbound Hayride and the Johnny Deadly Trio...roots crew Jesse LaMonaca & the Dime Novels, fresh off an SDMA for Best Americana Album, The Lament of Tumbleweed Hawk, headline sets by Oh, Spirit and Mrs. Henry at Bay Park bar the Griffin...while northa town, thrashcore band Terror hit the Ché Café. The L.A. staples are touring in support of this year’s Live by the Code, and they’ll follow Powertrip and Code Orange Kids at the campus collective...and northa northa town, hard-blues super group the Winery Dogs (ex-Mr. Big, -Poison, -Dream Theater) romp at Ramona Mainstage.

Sunday 6Desert-rock collective Calexico’s at Belly Up with Sallie Ford. Calexico is out to tout the Latin, surf, jazz and cowboy music off of last year’s Algiers. Sallie Ford’s a stomp-rock four-piece from Portland that “sounds like a cross between Ella Fitzgerald and Tom Waits.” That’s a dynamite double bill for a Sunday in Solana Beach. Grab some margs and tacos at Las Olas first, that’ll set you up nice for Calexico’s guac rock.... ’Round town: local faves New Mexico, Hills Like Elephants, Drew Andrews, and Jeans Wilder check in at Casbah for four courses of fine indie fare...and from London, stoner-metal heads Orange Goblin appear at Soda Bar behind Eulogy for the Damned. Holy Grail, Lazerwulf, and Ape Machine fill the bill.